The air outside the ballroom was brisk, but Hena didn't feel it. Her thoughts swirled too loudly, too violently. Claire had wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, guiding her away from curious stares.
"Hena," Claire said softly, "are you okay?"
Hena touched her cheek. It still stung where Hara had slapped her. But that wasn't what hurt the most.
"She hates me," Hena whispered. "My own sister."
Claire looked at her, eyes full of empathy. "She doesn't know you. And maybe… maybe she's scared of you. Of what you mean to her perfect life."
They sat in the backseat of Claire's car, Hena staring out the window at Seoul's glittering skyline. She clutched the baby bracelet tighter in her palm.
Suddenly, Claire's phone buzzed.
Claire frowned. "That's strange… I'm getting a video file."
She opened the message—sent anonymously. Her eyes widened.
"It's the fight," Claire whispered. "Someone recorded the fight between you and Hara."
"What?" Hena turned sharply.
Claire played the video. There it was—Hara's rude words, the slap, Hena's quiet pain, and her final words: I didn't ask to be abandoned.
The emotions hit all over again.
"We have to delete it," Hena said quickly. "What if it gets out? What if—"
"Too late," Claire whispered, staring at her screen.
The video had already been uploaded online. Shared anonymously. Gaining attention by the minute.
---
By morning, the video was trending.
"Twin Scandal: Mysterious Girl Confronts Heiress at Lee Corporation Party"
"Seo Family Secrets Exposed?"
"Slap at the Gala: Who is the Mystery Twin?"
Blogs. Tabloids. Even business news outlets began speculating.
Damian watched it in his office, arms crossed tightly. His brow furrowed, not with surprise—but frustration.
"Someone wanted this out," he muttered. "And they wanted to humiliate them both."
He leaned back in his chair, remembering Hena's trembling voice… and Hara's fury.
His phone rang.
It was his assistant, Leo. "Sir, the board has seen the video. Some of the investors are concerned."
"About the scandal?"
"Yes. But more about the Seo family. If your fiancée is hiding a twin, they wonder what else the family's hiding."
Damian hung up without replying.
He stared at his screen again. The image frozen on Hena's tear-filled eyes. She wasn't like Hara. He knew that now.
And he needed to know more.
---
Elsewhere, in a high-rise apartment far from the chaos, Madam Seo stood in silence, hands clenched around her teacup. The television replayed the clip over and over.
"Hara," she called.
Her daughter entered, arms crossed, trying to act unbothered.
"You should have controlled yourself," Madam Seo said coldly. "Now look what you've done."
Hara rolled her eyes. "This wouldn't have happened if she had stayed in the shadows."
Madam Seo approached her, voice low and dangerous. "You underestimate the damage this could do. We've spent years building your image. You are not allowed to crack now."
"She's trying to ruin everything," Hara snapped. "She's ruining me."
"No," Madam Seo replied, "you are ruining yourself. And if you want to keep your place, you better clean this up. Fast."
---
Meanwhile, Hena sat in Claire's apartment, hiding from the media.
She stared at her reflection. The same face as Hara's, yet… not the same.
"I need to know the truth," she said to Claire. "That video just made everything worse. Now I have more eyes on me than ever."
Claire sat beside her. "Then maybe it's time to stop hiding."
Hena shook her head. "No. Not yet. Not until I know why they gave me away. Why she hates me so much."
A knock came at the door.
Claire looked through the peephole. "It's… Damian?"
Hena's heart skipped.
She hesitated, then opened the door.